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REMINDER: Per PD policy, please do not share a link to, describe how to search for, request a link to, or request a PM about streaming video of a NBA game that is not coming directly through the NBA. Not even in a "wink-wink, nudge-nudge, know-what-I-mean" round-about sort of way. Thank you

Season Records: (W-L)

37-22

(Away: 17-14)

29-30

(Home: 15-14)

Upcoming Games:

Apr 16

Apr 17

Apr 19

Apr 21

Apr 23

vs

at

vs

vs

vs

7:00 pm

7:00 pm

7:00 pm

7:00 pm

7:00 pm

Projected Starting Lineup:

C

PF

SF

SG

PG

HIBBERT

WEST

GRANGER

GEORGE

HILL

Projected Starting Lineup:

C

PF

SF

SG

PG

GOODEN

ILYASOVA

DELFINO

ELLIS

JENNINGS

PacersDarren Collison, sore groin, day-to-day

BucksKwame Brown, torn talent muscle, out

Minimally Relevant Video:

Sitcom Wisconsin...

Semi-Relevant Video:

Eight Points, Nine Seconds Preview Review:

Jonathan Auping: The Pacers Are "Just Right"

Once upon a time, there was a little basketball scout named Gold E. Locks. Mr.Locks knew basketball and he had always been able to predict which teams weresuccessful based on his theory that balanced basketball always gets the job done.Well, for one weekend, Gold was assinged to scout three NBA teams: the BostonCeltics, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Indiana Pacers. He decided to assessa few areas on each team and try to figure out which team was likely to have themost success.

Gold decided to visit each team in their home city to watch them in theirrespective practice sessions. He stayed in Boston for a night and made thepersonal decison that, “This city is far too busy and populated. Although thebaked beans are great, I could never live here.”

After Boston, he flew over to Oklahoma City. OKC wasn’t Mr. Locks’ cup of teaeither. “This city is far too dull. I can’t believe that when I asked the hotelconcierge for night-life ideas she simply had the horse and buggy take me to thelocal IHOP. No way I could live here.”

Gold next spent a weekend in Indianapolis. He felt at home. “You know, this cityis just right. Not too crowded, not too dull. I could really see myself raising afamily here.”

I’m not quite sure how Gold’s living preferences made it into this article, butmore importantly, I was able to get a copy of the notes he took from his scoutingreport. Since Mr. Locks is such a great basketball mind, I thought that I mightshare a few of the points he made regarding three teams that Pacers fans haverecently become familiar with.

AGE

Celtics: “This team is far too old. A few of their players seem too elderly to evenrun the fast break. This is supposed to be a basketball team, not a retirementhome.”

Thunder: “This team is far too young. Young teams can make poor decisons latein games. That James Harden guy might fool some people with his beard, butapparently he is only 22 years old. This is supposed to be a basketball team, nota daycare center.”

Pacers: ”This team’s age is just right. Most of its core is pretty young, but theroster has some great veterans like David West and Danny Granger. Age shoudn’tbe a problem for them.”...CONTINUE READING AT 8p9s

Bucksketball

Owning pessimism – Why it doesn’t make you a bad person

As my Milwaukee Bucks world came crashing down around me earlier this weekI found myself, as I often do, looking to Twitter and Facebook for some sort ofkinship. I don’t know what I was looking for. I guess I wanted to see other peoplecomplaining about the Bucks. I wanted to see people frustrated about what wasgoing on.

My search ended almost as quickly as it began.

I saw almost nothing.

I did see the occasional person compliment Milwaukee on its effort. Then I sawsomeone in my Facebook timeline had a picture from the Knicks game with acaption of something like, “Got last minute tickets to the Bucks game.” The firstcomment was about no one ever actually making a plan to go to a Bucks game.The second was something more simple, like the Bucks suck. I shook my head,rolled my eyes and moved on to Twitter where some people were feeling thesame way I was.

All the national writers and bloggers I follow had little to nothing to say aboutthe ramifications of the Bucks-Knicks game though. A few comments about theKnicks probably securing a playoff spot and about the Bucks having their workcut out for them the rest of the way were made. Matt Moore had a bunch offunny tweets throughout the night. But after the game was done on Wednesday,the biggest regular season game the Bucks have had a couple years mind you,pretty much no one was talking about the Bucks.

That’s our reality right now. I was incredibly charged and full of a variety ofthoughts from “I TOLD EVERYONE SO” to “Can it get any worse?” to “MaybeMonta Ellis can work.” But only a few hundred people really cared.

No one ever really cares. The Bucks do not matter. And that’s why I am theway I am. That’s why I write the way I write.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I want to be a more positive person. Iwant to be an optimist. People at work have discussed starting a list of all thethings I hate. That’s probably a sign that I need to stop hating so many things(or that I need to stop being so vocal about what I hate). The Bucks wouldprobably be on that list. Nothing in my life has ever been more love/hate thanmy relationship with the Bucks.

But the hatred in me just feasts and gets stronger when I see things like this:

“It’s important for the players, the coaches, myself, the businessoperation, and first and foremost for the fans,” Sen. Herb Kohlsaid of reaching the playoffs. ”It’s a lot easier to sell your productwhen you have a winning season. If we get to the playoffs, I thinkwe’ll all feel that we’ve had a good season. Then we’ll hope to dowell in the playoffs.

When I see that, I just throw my hands up. The playoffs are a Band-Aid on ashotgun wound. I feel the same way when I see the “look how hard the Bucksare trying” stories...READ MORE AT BUCKSKETBALL

The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to avoidingtheclowns For This Useful Post:

Re: 4/14/2012 Game Thread #60: Pacers Vs. Bucks

The Pacers can't take this game lightly, b/c the Bucks have to win every game they possibly can to make 8th seed and the playoffs. The Bucks are not bottomdwellers like Toronto and Cleveland as they are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Pacers need to come out strong and play strong for 48 min.

Re: 4/14/2012 Game Thread #60: Pacers Vs. Bucks

back to backs are tough, but the starters got good rest in the 4th last night. Also, DC not playing is good for us this game imo. We get to start the game with such a defensive intensity against their back court, we can set the tone early.

Re: 4/14/2012 Game Thread #60: Pacers Vs. Bucks

This is one of those games where having George Hill start is going to really help us. Hill and PG can both contain Jennings and Ellis. The rest of their team is mediocre at best. I'm still kinda iffy about this game, hopefully we go 16 games over .500%.

The Following User Says Thank You to Anthem For This Useful Post:

Re: 4/14/2012 Game Thread #60: Pacers Vs. Bucks

The Bucks are definitely a perfect storm for him; he gave them so much trouble last time they most surely gameplanned for him, but still have nobody who can stop him. Double teams to force him to pass.

Even if he doesn't pull it off, I'm more than happy to just watch him make them squirm.